It will be mandatory for public vehicles with seating capacity of 23 or more to have CCTV cameras, vehicle location tracking devices and panic buttons from next month.

The ministry of road transport and highways will issue a notification on June 2 to ensure all public vehicles follow the new rules. Vehicles with a seating capacity of less than 23 will be required to have vehicle tracking devices and emergency buttons. The ministry has already issued a draft notification in this regard.

According to Nitin Gadkari, the minister of road transport and highways, certain unfortunate incidents in the recent past have forced the government to take this step, so that women travelling in buses will be more safe.

The CCTV cameras, vehicle tracking systems and especially panic buttons will enable the police to know the exact location of the bus and provide prompt assistance. Gadkari said that buses in the future should be manufactured along with these features.

The minister also launched a Nirbhaya scheme, providing 20 buses – including 10 luxury ones – with vehicle tracking systems, CCTV cameras and panic buttons on every seat. The buses were handed over to the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation in New Delhi.